Wednesday, December 31, 2008

I would like to dedicate my last post of this year in memory of a fellow Catholic blogger, Emilie. She was a young wife and mother who died on Christmas eve because of cancer. Her blog is lemmondrops. May she rest in peace! Amen!

「過去」已不再屬於你了﹔「將來」還不至你的能力所及。你只有「現在」來行善。

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Sometimes I am really amazed by the “coincident” in my priestly life. I shared with you on a post, how I had to pray for 3 babies who died in 24 hours. Today I did the funeral for one of the twins who died. Right before the funeral Mass, I was informed by the Children’s Hospital that there were going to be another pair of twins transferring there, and one was not going to live.

For some reasons, I needed to wait and standby in the hospital for more than 4 hours. This evening I baptized the twins. I also gave the one who was dying the Sacrament of Confirmation and the Anointing of the Sick. I ask you please keep the babies and the family in your prayers. With the dad’s permission, I am sharing 2 photos of the twins with you.

The Baby Boy:

The Baby Girl (who is dying):

I also found out today that the 19 years old boy I visited has died. In your charity, please keep him and his family in your prayers.

The shortest life is the best life if it leads us to the eternal.---ST. FRANCIS DE SALES.

Today, I was touched by the staff of the Spiritual Care Department. Even tough they were not Catholics, they told me that they were thinking about me and praying for me, because they knew that I had saw many human sufferings during this busy Season of Christmas. I am very thankful for the supports that I have received as chaplain of the hospitals.

UPDATE (Dec 31): The baby girl did pass away last night. Please keep the family in your prayers. Thanks.

On December the 28, we remember the Holy Innocents. Yesterday, we had a few “holy innocents” in our parish. Both Fr. Vince & I had the joy to do 2 Baptisms yesterday. Welcome to the big family of the Holy Catholic Church, you little ones of God.

Yesterday was the Feast of the Holy Family. The theme of my preaching was fulfilling the Will of God.

The key to harmony within oneself and family is doing the Will of God

Insisting doing our own will and getting our own way at all times is not going to bring us true happiness

If you wish to be pleasing to God and happy here below, be in all things united to His will.---ST. ALPHONSUS.

Both Our Lady & Abraham accepted the Will of God without knowing exactly the the “How” and the “When”.

Our Lady & Abraham experienced both sorrows & joys when fulfilling the Will of God.

In family life, we discern the Will of God by considering our DUTIES, and by listening to God in daily PRAYERS.

Uniting ourselves to the Will of God gives us great happiness and peace which the world cannot take away.

Example:

Nijole Sadunaite was a member of the Catholic Church in Lithuania. She was persecuted by Communist Lithuania. When offered freedom for just one statement that would incriminate her acquaintances, Nijole replied that she prefer to suffer rather than having freedom with a troubled conscience. She even succeeded in turning the tables on her captors:

“If you gave me eternal youth and all the beautiful things in the world for one statement which would cause some trouble, then those years would turn into hell for me. Even if you kept me in the psychiatric hospital all my life, as long as I knew that no one had suffered on my account, I would go around smiling. A clear conscience is more precious than liberty or life.

I do not understand how you, whose conscience is burdened by the spilled blood and tears of so many innocent people, can sleep at night. I would agree to die a thousand times rather than be free for one second with your conscience.”

You can download my English sermon here, and my Chinese one here. You can find my other sermons on-line here.

In proportion as the love of God increases in our soul, so does also the love of suffering.---ST. VINCENT DE PAUL.

天主的愛在我們的靈魂內愈增強，我們對受苦的喜愛也愈增強。

December 29 is the Feast of St. Thomas Becket (+1170):

On the way to the ordination [as Archbishop] Thomas charged his faithful friend, Herbert of Bosham: “Hereafter, I want you to tell me, candidly and in secret, what people are saying about me. And if you see anything in me that you regard as a fault, feel free to tell me in private. For from now on people will talk about me, but not to me. It is dangerous for men in power if no one dares to tell them when they go wrong.”----LIVES OF THE SAINTS by +Augustine Kalberer, O.S.B.

Q1: But if God orders and directs all things in the world, why, then, is there so much evil done? Does He will it? (為何世上有凶惡？)

A1: No, God wills not the evil; but He permits it (天主容許凶惡), 1. Because He has created man free (天主尊重人的自由); and 2. Because He knows also how to turn evil into good (天主能從惡抽出善).

Q2: And if God takes care of all things, why are we subject to so many sufferings? (為何世上有痛苦？)

A2: 1. That the sinner may acknowledge the chastisement of God and mend his ways, and not perish for ever (為改正罪人); and 2. That the just man may be more and more purified, and more abound in merits, and thus obtain a greater reward in Heaven (為煉淨義人).

Q3: But why does God often permit the wicked to prosper, whilst evil befalls the good? (為何惡人享樂，善人受苦？)

A3: 1. Because He will not only deter the sinner from his evil ways by punishment, but will also win him by benefits (為賺取罪人的心); 2. Because He reserves to Himself to punish the wicked, and to reward the good, especially in eternity (為保留賞罰至永怛); and 3. Because He will not even leave the little good which the wicked may do entirely unrewarded, and, therefore, as He cannot reward it in the next world on account of their impenitence, He will reward it here below (為在現世賞報應受永罰的罪人所行的一點善行).

Q4: How ought we to receive the sufferings that come upon us? (如何面對痛苦？)

A4: We ought to receive them as graces of God (接受痛苦像接受恩賜一樣); for ‘whom the Lord loveth He chastiseth’ (Hebr. xii. 6); and ‘before he be glorified, it [his heart] is humbled’ (Prov. xvii. 12).

If you wish to be pleasing to God and happy here below, be in all things united to His will.---ST. ALPHONSUS.

如果你希望取悅天主並在世快樂，你要在一切事上與天主的旨意結合。

Quote for the Feast of Holy Family:

Joseph had to work at his trade to earn a living; even the divine hands toiled at the artisan’s calling. Surely then we need not wonder that wise men who were rich, cast their wealth aside willingly, and chose poverty in company with Jesus, Mary and Joseph.---POPE LEO XIII.

Saturday, December 27, 2008

Be gentle and kind with every one, and severe with yourself.---ST. TERESA.

對所有人要温良慈善，對自己要嚴厲。

Quote for the Feast of St. John the Apostle:

The Church recognizes two lives which Divinity himself has revealed and recommended. One is the life of faith, the other the life of vision; one the life of pilgrimage, the other life in the mansions of eternity; one the life of labor, the other the life of rest; one the life of journey, the other the life of home; one the life of action, the other the life of contemplation. The one avoids evil and does good, the other knows no evil to avoid, but only a great good to enjoy. The one fights with the enemy, the other, having no enemy, reigns…. Wherefore one life is good, but as yet full of sorrows; the other is better, yea even blessed. The first is typified by the Apostle Peter, the other by John.---ST. AUGUSTINE.

Friday, December 26, 2008

It’s Boxing Day!!! My great highlight for the day is to celebrate Mass for the Missionaries of Charity (Mother Theresa’s nuns). Since the sisters are usually busy serving the poor on Dec. 25, the custom of their community is to have communal celebration of Christmas on Dec. 26. I offered a Solemn Mass for them, and the sisters prepared a lunch for me.

This afternoon, I listened to Radio Sabina @ wdtprs.com while unwrapping my Christmas gifts….

Q: What kind of gifts do a priest get at Christmas?

A: All kinds of things, but mainly chocolate & wine.

I thank those who gave me Christmas cards & gifts this year. Of course, I cannot eat all the chocolate & drink all the wine by myself. I will have to share. It’s good to share at Christmas, isn’t it?

To save our souls we must live according to the maxims of the Gospel, and not according to those of the world.---ST. ALPHONSUS. 為救我們的靈魂，我們必需按照福音的格言去生活。我們不應按照世俗的格言去生活。

Extra Quotes on St. Stephen:

Yesterday we celebrated the temporal Birth of our eternal King: to-day we celebrate the triumphant passion of His Soldier. Yesterday our King, having put on the garb of our flesh, came from the sanctuary of His Mother's virginal womb, and mercifully visited the earth: to-day His Soldier, quitting his earthy tabernacle, entered triumphantly into heaven.---ST. FULGENTIUS.

Had Stephen not prayed, the Church today would have no Paul.---ST. AUGUSTINE.

It’s Christmas!!! Like many of my brother priests, I had a busy Christmas. Yesterday, I celebrated Mass at the nursing home, and some parishioners of St. Pat’s sang Christmas songs for the seniors.

My Christmas Sermon

Last night and today, I celebrated 5 Christmas Masses. I shared with the faithful 3 thoughts during my sermons:

1. Jesus came to save us from sins. The snow, darkness, & coldness remind us of sin. The church, of warmth, light, & decorations remind us of the love of God. The WHY of the Incarnation is: God saves us from our sin & death. “JESUS” means “God saves”.

2. God saves us out of compassion for us. We haven’t done anything to make ourselves deserving Salvation. The Baby Jesus is the perfect reflection of the compassion of God. He born to die for us. Jesus was born in a cave, and He was buried in a cave. At birth, Jesus’ body was wrapped up and being laid down. At death, His body was also wrapped up and being laid down. In the Holy Eucharist Jesus continues to give Himself up for us. The spirit Christmas is “Giving”.

3. In order to turn from the darkness of sin into the light of love, we must response to the love of God. The shepherds responded by: believing, praising, & proclaiming. Our Lady responded by treasuring all things in her heart and pondered on them. We too, should spend time praying, and contemplating the Mystery of the Incarnation and thus let God teach us the meanings of Christmas.

Monday, December 22, 2008

Feeling more like Christmas

Today, because of the snow, I had a quiet day. I was able to rest a bit. I also put up my Christmas gifts & cards in my office to make it more like Christmas.

It is quite amusing to read the Christmas card from my pastor:

Am I really working too hard???

2 Confession trips on snow

There was lots of snow on the road. By afternoon, it was alright to drive on the main roads, but it was very difficult to drive on secondary roads. Today, I made 2 trips for Confessions. The 1st trip was for my own Confession, and the 2nd was for the Confessions of others.

This afternoon, I went to Opus Dei centre for my own Confession before Christmas. I prayed in their chapel before Confession. It is a beautiful chapel.

The priest and the people face the same direction during Mass. It is a very lovely chapel. I always enjoy visiting the Opus Dei centre and the convent of the Missionaries of Charity. These 2 places provide strong spiritual supports for many people (including me).

This evening, I made another trip. This time to Blessed Sacrament Parish to hear Confessions.

I had a very hard time parking my car. My car got stuck a few times before I was able to park it on the road side. After Confessions, the pastor of the parish & a seminarian came to help me to get my car going on the road again. It took us a little while to get the car going. Driving on snow is not easy in Vancouver. Thanks God I came back safely.

True Christian prudence makes us submit our intellect to the maxims of the Gospel without fear of being deceived. It teaches us to judge things as Jesus Christ judged them, and to speak and act as He did.---ST. VINCENT DE PAUL.

基督徒的真明智使我們有把握地以理智順從福音的格言。它教像耶穌基督一樣去判斷、說話、和行動。

O' Antiphon

O King of all the nations, the only joy of every human heart; O Keystone of the mighty arch of man, come and save the creature you fashioned from the dust.

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Local Blogs

Today is the 4th Sunday of Advent. It is a busy day for me. This morning I was glad to meet the author of a blog that is no longer active: Letters from a Young Catholic. I didn’t know much about blogging until I saw a post about my Ordination at her blog (May 30, 2006). I started my own blog partly because of the inspirations of her blog. It’s good to be able to say “thank you” to the person who had inspired me. This blog also reminds me of some other local Catholic blogs:

Lots of Confessions

This weekend, I learnt one of the most valuable lessons form my beloved pastor, Father Vincent. Father Vince has great zeal for the Sacrament of Penance. At the end of the evening Mass yesterday, he announced that he would be available in the confessional after Mass for those who would like to make Confession before Christmas. I decided to help out a bit, and we both hear a good number of Confessions. This morning, we did the same things at the morning Masses, and we helped many people to make Confessions. I loved the idea, and so I announced at the 3PM Chinese Mass at Corpus Christi that I would be available after Mass for Confessions, and I got a long line-up. We did the same thing again at the 5PM Mass at St. Pat’s. Again, we got a good line-up. Today I am very happy because of all the good Confessions I heard. Thanks Father Vince for the great initiative!

Baptism

This afternoon I had the joy of baptizing a baby.

Right before I baptized the baby I said, “I know that he is going to cry, but I have to do it anyway…” Sure enough, the baby was crying & moving while I baptized him. He was moving so much that I need to be more careful to ensure that I apply the matter of the Sacrament properly. After I did the Baptism, all those present clapped their hands, and the lovely baby stopped crying & started smiling!!!

My Sermon

It’s lots of snow today. It’s a bit challenging to drive between St. Pat’s & Corpus Christi. Today at the Masses, I preached on Our Lady. We learn these 3 lessons from her:

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Our Lady of the Clergy, Pray for Us!

O Priest! thou art not thyself, because thou art God; thou art not of thyself, because thou art the servant and minister of Christ; thou art not thine own, because thou art the spouse of the Church; thou art not for thyself, because thou art the mediator between God and man; thou art not from thyself, because thou art nothing. What then art thou, O Priest? Nothing and everything. O Priest! take care lest what was said to Christ on the Cross be said to thee: He saved others, himself he cannot save. -St. Norbert